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Field still strong despite upsets

Cougar Sports Staff

Let the madness continue. 

March Madness has become synonymous with the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and the tournament has validated the cliché. This year has been no exception.

As the field narrowed from 64 to 32 and is now down to 16 teams, the Cinderellas made their appearance at the party. But the VIPs are still making noise.

So as the pundits scratch their heads and the fans scratch their eyes out, the underdogs and the top dogs scuffle in what has become perhaps the most dramatic post-season tournament in all of major sports. 

St. Louis region 

Both of the top two seeds have been knocked out. No. 1 seed Kentucky, who was the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, fell to No. 9-seeded Alabama-Birmingham in a wild finish. The No. 10 seed Nevada upset seventh-seeded Michigan State in the first round and topped that performance by defeating No. 2 seed Gonzaga. 

That leaves UAB, Nevada, No. 4 Kansas and No. 3 Georgia Tech fighting it out for a trip to San Antonio. Kansas looked shaky against Pacific (No. 12 seed) in the second round. Georgia Tech has had little trouble, easily handling No. 14 Northern Iowa and No. 6 Boston College. 

East Rutherford region 

Saint Joseph's keeps cruising along. The team that was supposed to crack has yet to show a chink in its armor. But the team will have its hand full, as the East Rutherford region is the only section to retain the top four seeds. The No. 2 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys didn't blink an eye against Eastern Washington or the seventh-seeded Memphis Tigers. 

Pittsburgh, the No. 3 seed and Wake Forest, the No. 4 seed, had similarly innocuous paths to the Sweet 16. Pittsburgh defeated a hot Wisconsin team. This regional could be anybody's for the taking.

Atlanta region 

This region is a mixed bag. Two stalwarts -- No. 1 Duke and No. 3 Texas -- are still in the fold. But No. 7 Xavier and No.5 Illinois also loom. Don't discount either team, but especially Illinois. The fighting Illini are playing as well as any team in the bracket. 

But Duke has to be the favorite among the remaining teams. The Blue Devils are as close to a dynasty as men's college basketball has to offer. 

Phoenix region 

All four teams are capable of winning this region. No. 8 Alabama won a close game against Southern Illinois in the first round, but the Crimson Tide rebounded to take down the No. 1 Stanford Cardinal, who had been the top team in the nation for most of the season. 

Vanderbilt may be out of its league, but it held its own against No. 3 North Carolina State in the second round. No. 2 Connecticut is the favorite on paper, and the Huskies could run away with both remaining games in the regional. 

But never discount a defending national champion. No. 5 Syracause struggled for a big chunk of the season, but the Orangemen have hit their stride.

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